Friday, December 21, 2012

Traveling

As I sit here in my boarding area waiting to get on my plane to Las Vegas, I am given ample time to think about traveling and how it makes me feel. Before I go on, I should state that no, I am not going to Las Vegas for some sort of end-of-the-world-celebration, nor am I going to Vegas for any reason other than to get on a plane to Houston, so I can board a cruise tomorrow. Now that the clarifications are out of the way, let's begin...

For me, traveling is one of the most exciting things. It doesn't matter if I am getting on a 45 minute flight to go home or to a city I've seen before, I love to travel. It makes me feel alive, empowered, and especially when being done alone, independent and strong. It brings out of me my favorite qualities -- friendliness, ability to build rapport with others, and a sense of accomplishment. I love to talk to all the security people and smile at everyone, and I love to feel like I am going on an adventure.

Travel = freedom, plain and simple. When you are traveling, there is a sense of uncertainty that you have to cope with. You don't know if the flight will be delayed, go correctly, and if you are going somewhere new, you have no idea [really] what to expect when you arrive (especially if in a country where the language spoken is not your own). It's all so exciting to me, and I get an adrenalin rush just thinking about it.

There's something very cool about being transported through time and space to another place. For myself, I usually sleep through flights. I am prone to motion sickness, so dramamine is my closet friend, and it allows me to drift off after we take off, and then come to just as it's time to land. Because of this, I usually sleep through my travels, so it really is as if I'm experiencing some sort of time/body travel on another level. I go to sleep in one place, and wake up in another. Waking up in a new place is like waking up a new person. You get to choose right off the bat how you want the trip to go and how you want to be. If you get off and are excited, thrilled, and looking forward to new experiences and adventures, that's what you will get, and if you decide you are dreading the trip, you will get a trip to meet all dread. How empowering!

Traveling is also a very curious time. I am very drawn to people and curious about them. When I see someone on the streets, I automatically wonder what brought them to that place in their life. The same goes for being on a plane or waiting for a flight. I wonder what everyone's story is, listen for different accents, and am always so curious as to what their reason for taking the flight is. For just a moment, we all come together from our different walks of life, enter the lives of one another, and spend some common time together. It's beautiful and horrible all at once (horrible when there are screaming children and things of the like).

And there's also an element of mystery in traveling that draws me to it so much. It is, in a word, my passion, and I am so pleased that I will begin a life of it next month. *Blessed!*

Today's Thoughts: Traveling is my joy and my passion. There are so many components and elements to it, and it may be stressful, but it also is so lovely. Travel as much as you can, if you can, because nothing rewards quite like it.

1 comment:

I'm telling you, you should be a travel writer. You articulate with style, you bring the reader into your world, and you have a keen eye for a great photo. That's what great travel writers do. I'm your biggest fan. I'm your dad.